Ben Margot, The Associated Press file
Following a grueling 5-day push, 10-year-old Glenwood Springs native Selah Schneiter became the youngest to ever scale the 3,000-foot nose of the iconic El Capitan at Yosemite National Park.
Schneiter completed the historic climb Wednesday evening around 6 p.m. after 5 days of climbing with her father, Mike Schneiter, and his friend Mark Reiger, becoming the youngest documented climber to complete the ascent by nearly a full year. According to Outside Magazine, Scott Cory climbed the Nose twice in 2001, when he was 11, while Tori Allen climbed it when she was 13, also in 2001.
Selah has been climbing for a few years now and even scaled Independence Monument at age 7. Climbing is a staple for the family, as Mike owns Glenwood Climbing Guides in Glenwood Springs, where he teaches sport climbing, vertical self-rescue, and ice climbing. Mike is also the former Cross Country coach for Glenwood Springs High School. Selah’s mother, Joy, is a registered nurse at Glenwood Medical Associates, and fell in love with Mike while climbing El Capitan in 2001.
